It's always better to paint over clean versus dirty but unless the walls are filthy it isn't overly important. You do want to make sure any oils [like oily fingerprints, hairspray, etc] are removed. If you use any cleaners, it's important to rinse them also - you don't want to paint over cleaner residue. I often give the walls a quick scuff sanding prior to repainting. This is especially important if the walls currently have a sheen.

1/2" nap is the size roller cover I normally use on walls. I'm not fond of 3/8" covers because a roller full of paint doesn't go as far although a slick wall painted with enamel will have less roller stiple if a shorter nap is used.

 

If there has been a smoker in the house for a significant time period,someone who cooked on the stove with open pans etc and cooked foods that are greasy or oily,or if the house has an oil furnace that has some age or hasn't been well maintained scrub the walls down with TSP,tri-sodium phosphate.This is a strong detergent cleaner commonly used before painting.It must be well rinsed after use to remove residue.

 

...and I would add, it's often difficult to remove all the nicotine so when that is an issue it's best to use a solvent based primer to seal the walls. That will prevent any remaining nicotine from staining thru the new paint.

 

And be sure to use a stain blocking primer.One without that on the label might do ok but if it is on the label you know you'll block it.

 

I am new to the whole painting scene. So far I've painted 3 rooms....one with Kiltz and 2 with Valspar....I didn't like the Valspar at all!! I have some info on Porter Paints and was wondering if they are good, or should I just get the BM instead.

Thanks

 

Welcome to the forums Jessica!

Both Porter and BM have quality coatings but both [like most paint manufactures] also have a cheap line that isn't worth using. As long as you get mid line or better you should have a decent coating.

It also helps to use quality brushes and rollers

 

marksr (or anyone with experience in these products)

better choice: BM regal or SWP (i can get 40%-50% off SWP)

i'm not too familiar with SWP's line but since i can get a good discount it might be worth it. i would want something comparable to the BM aura or regal line. i want ease, i don't want to paint 6++ coats. any recommendations?

 

Welcome to the forums anchorofhope!

I don't know that BM is better than SWP or vice versa. Duration is SWP's top line interior coating. Their super paint also does a great job.

 

I don't mean to rain on anyone's parade but nobody ever gets a discount of "40%-50%" on paint as the margin is less than that on paint.That kind of discount would be at or more likely below cost.If someone has said this discount is possible they are misinformed or playing a semantic game.

I've been in retail hardware for over 30 years.Paint has a lower margin than many categories.That business uses a grocery like strategy of high volume low margin and paint is basically a draw to sell sundries which have a much higher margin often as high as 2-3 times cost.Even manufacturer owned and operated stores don't sell paint at a margin as high as 40-50%.

 

Coming from a family of perfectionists, as well as accomplished DIYers, I will tell you why I know that Benjamin Moore is better than Behr.

I once used Behr to paint my family room and kitchen (to save a buck and for the convenience of having a Home Depot down the street). God help me!

Behr was like trying to paint with chewing gum! It would go on tacky, and would remove itself as I passed the roller back and forth along the wall! Yes, I said REMOVE itself!

When explaining this odd occurrence to my family, and griping about the wasted time trying to coat and re-coat the walls thoroughly, my aunt told me about her experiment.

She bought Behr, Benjamin Moore, and one other paint product and did a test area in her kitchen. She was looking for washability and durability. (She said BM went on the walls like silk.)

After the paint swatches dried for 3 days, she rubbed them with bacon grease, ketchup, and mustard, and let the condiments remain on the paint overnight.

The next morning, Benjamin Moore was the only one that wiped off with a paper towel and left NO STAIN!

For the additional $15 a gallon, BM is WELL WORTH the money!!

 

I haven't done a ton of painting in my life, and I've never used BM paint, so I can't provide a comparison between Behr and BM. However, I just painted our master bedroom using Behr Premium Plus Ultra, which is touted as painter and primer in one. Considering the negative things said about Behr in this thread aren't consistent with the experience I just had, I wanted to add my two cents.

I used sage green, beige, and off-white colors - the green over a very light beige color and the other colors over white paint.

I did not find the Behr paint difficult to work with, and I was very pleased with the coverage, too. I used a good brush (Purdy) for my cutting in, and what seemed to be mid-range quality 3/8" nap roller covers. I did put two coats on everything, but there was barely any showing through of the former colors after the first coat, and I probably could have gotten by with a single coat plus some touching up.

Had I seen this thread before I painted, I almost certainly would have purchased BM instead of the Behr paint. Especially since the colors we used were actually BM colors. Based on what little I knew at the time of purchase, though, I couldn't justify spending nearly $20 more per gallon. I have to say I'm thankful I didn't see this thread until now since I'm quite happy with my results with the Behr paint.

I may still try BM the next time I paint, and maybe I will find that it really is THAT much better. For now, though, if budget is an issue I just wanted to share that it's entirely possible to achieve a great outcome using Behr paint.

 

I painted my kitchen Pacific Green using Grand Distinction paint (Pittsburgh) from Menards and it was very nice to work with. I used Behr last year and I feel that Grand distinction was a little better to roll on.

 

I have painted for about 55 years. Benjamin Moore use to have a test board on Route 22 in NJ....somewhere around Somerville or further west. As a kid every time we went past, the paint always looked the same. That stuck in my mind and when I started painting, I have lived in 13 different homes and apartments all across the country and in all climates, Benjamin Moore is the only one that gave great coverage the first time around. I have painted for personal and professional requirements and have used Behr, SW, and other brands, but Benjamin Moore colors are true to the charts. Time is money plus the colors are not always true because they do not cover. $15 is a small price to pay for quality and time saved.

 

Welcome to the forums Dorothea!

Your testament to BM's quality probably should be expanded to say that their top line coatings are great. BM like most any other paint manufactures has a bargain basement line that IMO isn't worth using. This is true of the majority of paint manufactures. I'm sure if you compared SWP's top coating to BM's top coating you'd be equally impressed, on the flip side, if you used BM's cheapest and SWP's cheapest you'd be equally disappointed.

 

I used Benjamin Moore Aura paint for my living room, hallway, and foyer last summer. It costs over $60 / gallon where I live. At first I had a lot of problems with it (the dried paint looked streaky) so I went back to the store and complained. The person there said that in order to use Aura you "need to know how to paint" and that it is "made for professional painters." I was insulted, but THEN he explained what he meant by that. He said that most DIYers try to do the "W" pattern and that won't work with Aura, because I dries so fast. He said I needed to do a straight up and down pattern and NOT to press hard on the roller (I had been pressing hard on the roller to try to squeeze out all of the paint prior to reloading). He said to go from floor to ceiling to floor using gentle, single strokes and not to keep going back over it. I was skeptical, because when sunlight was on my walls they looked so bad, and I couldn't imagine that doing it "his way" would make a difference.

Well, I went back home and followed his advice to the letter. Lo and behold, the walls looked PERFECT. I couldn't believe the difference. The paint looks absolutely beautiful. Covered in basically one coat (over 10-year-old contractor's paint).

Now I am about to repaint a bedroom, which should be much easier because it does not have the cathedral ceilings. Even though it is expensive, I am going to go with the Aura again. I actually believe that it is not too much more expensive than other premium paints due to its superior coverage.

There is a learning curve for the technique, but once you "get it," the results are amazing.

 

Welcome to the forums

You just highlighted the other issue - going to a paint store is where you get good advice as well as good paint.

 

You see questions like this all the time. The answer is: there is no such thing as "Benjamain Moore paint". That is, BM makes many paints, and it doesn't make any sense to talk about all of them, because some of them are cheap, and some high quality. Same with any large paint maker. Sherwin Williams also makes junky paint, and excellent paint.

You need to figure out what you want to paint, and go from there. Then you can ask "is Sherwin Williams Master Hide or Super Paint better for me in this case?" Or "am I going to see much different between Benjamin Moore Regal and Sherwin Williams Super Paint?" But don't bother thinking just about BM, SW, Behr, Duron etc in general. It's meaningless.

 

My husband I recently purchased our first home and I stumbled upon this site/thread while searching for reviews on BM "ben" paint. My dad is a painting contractor and recommended BM for our projects... we used Aura in the nursery (LOVE AURA!) and in our bathroom and are using Ben in our bedroom and guest room.

Any thoughts on the "Ben" line? I'm pregnant and wanted low VOC so I could help and we didn't want to fork out the $60/gallon for more Aura (although I love it). Ben seemed like a good mid-range BM paint (more than Regal, less than Aura or Natura). My dad uses mostly Regal, but he said to try the Ben and give him a review lol

 

Welcome to the forums Cindy and congratulations on the upcoming addition to your family!

I rarely use BM paints but I don't think you'll be disappointed with the Ben line, it won't cover as well as the Aura but it should do fine.

 

Ben is less than Regal, not more. If you want low VOC you should go with Natura. Aura is fine paint but even in the "matte" finish is has some sheen, and anything more than matte is going to require some care in applying so it goes on evenly. It dries so quickly that you have little working time. If you don't apply it correctly it will streak and show funny depending on the angle of the light. This is true with all sheen paints of course (non-flat), but more so with Aura since it's so fast drying.

 

I am a DIY'er (although my wife the advertising guru says im a "handyman") and have painted miles of residential walls. I typically use the Home Depot or Lowes brands without any problems (some Behr but mostly Valspar and Olympic) . I decided to paint my first ceiling thinking it wouldnt be a problem given my success in the past with walls. I used a 3/8" nap, flat white paint, and kept the roller loaded making sure to overlap. I had NASTY roller marks from the 1st, and 2nd coat of Olympic ($90 for 5 gallons). I've never had to put a second coat on anything so was worried. Tried Lowes Valspar($25 a gallon) brand with even worse results. I came on these message boards and decided to try Benjamin Moore 508 ceiling paint at $38 a gallon even though I was $140 into this simple job. What a difference! The ceiling is so bright and perfect I cant help but stare and admire it! I used the exact same amount of paint as with the Valspar and Olympic (1.5 gallons covering just under 400 sq ft.) but with the BM the ceiling came out perfect! I will say I changed my method a bit and went away from the "W" with the BM and instead used a straight line approach but either way I cant believe how nice it looks! I will use BM for all my paint jobs from now on.

 

I can not say enough about the Aura BM paint that I used in painting a bedroom that had wood paneling on it (built in 1965). All the bedrooms in this house were paneled. Over the years I wallpapered over them, and that looked good. But now I removed that stuff and decided to paint them. In the first room I used Kilz2 primer on the walls, then Home Depot Behr paint. The Behr was AWFUL! It was so thick in the pan and did not roll on smoothly nor cover good. It was such a struggle and effort to get this job done. Then I came on here and started reading. I went to the BM store, and first off they were the most knowledgable and helpful staff ever! I took home their ceiling paint, and that went on so nice, and looks fantastic. Then I used their STIX Primer on the paneling. I did use two coats, but it was great to work with. Then the real test - the color coat. Aura paint is by far, and I have painted a lot over the years, by far the best paint I have ever used. I used a matte finish and the room and color look awesome. I just have to sit there in that room and stare at how nice it looks. That paint is not cheap (pd $63/gal), but it is worth every single last penny!!! The person at the BM store said the trick to using Aura is to do ALL your cutting in first, all the way around the room, so that it is completely dry when you go back to the first wall to start the rolling part. Aura blended and covered beautifully. No brush marks, no rolls marks. Another thing I did, after reading here so many suggested - using a screen to work the paint into your roller, I tried that. My rollers filled with paint so much better than rolling it up and down over those little grooves on a roller pan. I had on hand a large size deep roller pan, so instead of a 5 gal bucket, that I used. It worked that I could lay that metal screen on the roller pan and it was still up off of it a little so that the paint excess dripped down into the pan. Dipping my roller into the paint and rolling it back and forth over the screen quite a few times really works the paint into the roll far better than I had ever experienced. Again, I must say Ben M paint is the only one I'm going to buy from now on. Never again, HD paint, or Lowes.

 

Welcome to the forums Sara!

The 2 biggest differences between a paint store and paint dept is the help is better trained at the paint store and the quality of the available coatings. Paint depts tend to stock their coatings based on low price and while most paint stores [including BM] carry a similar line of cheap coatings, they also carry some of the better coatings available.

I almost always roll out of a 5 gallon bucket and like to use a roller screen/grid but I've never used a screen in a roller pan..... but whatever works
A roller pole also helps to make rolling paint easier.

 

I can only reiterate what others have said about Benjamin Moore's Aura: Wow.

Not having painted in over 15 years, I read all the reviews, including this forum, before selecting an eggshell-finish, dark green ("Lush") Aura for my bedroom walls. Although BM's on-line calculator said I'd need two gallons for my 13 x 15 room (minus 100 sq. ft. of window/sliding closet door space), I needed only 9/10th of one gallon. Perfect coverage with one coat and no primer hid the cheapo orange-peel texturized apartment walls.

Three days later, I'm ready to do the sliding closet doors and trim. Any tips on painting with Aura's semi-gloss on open French windows in a hot desert climate, given Aura's quick drying time? Also, the window trim will be red so I suspect I will need at least two coats. I'm worried about stickiness.

 

Welcome to the forums Sapphicats!

I've not used any of the aura line of paints. What did the folks at BM say when you bought the trim paint? They get a lot of feedback from the pros that shop there and should be able to give you good advice.

"I'm worried about stickiness"
Do you mean after the paint has dried? Cheaper latex enamels are prone to stick although some of the quality latex enamels dry hard enough not to stick. I like to use the waterborne enamels because they dry as hard as oil base.
Or are you concerned about the Aura sticking to the wood work? If the previous paint is oil base it should be sanded and coated with a solvent based primer first to insure adhesion.

 

I moved into my new home in April of this year and the entire home was white contractor primer. Choosing to buy local and go with quality the first time around I went to Ben Moore. I also used a BM primer/sealer as well. The results are amazing. I have done 3 rooms so far and a 4th tomorrow. All colors are true and vibrant. I will never go with another company. I have used purples, greens, a dark and a light gray (most in eggshell). All covered well. The paint is a creamy texture as opposed to the cheaper paints that are a more watery consistency. I worked in the orange box store for years and heard MANY unhappy stories because of paint fading and poor wash-ability.

 

Welcome to the forums, glad to hear your project is going well.

 

That's because the big box stores typically stock their coatings based on low price, not quality
But BM, SWP and others also sell cheap paint so you have to make sure you get one of their better lines of paint.

 

Does anyone have experience/evaluation on California Paints for interior painting? How does it compare to Ben Moore and Sherwin Williams? I have seen their colors on some walls and thought they were quite good, but do not know about quality.

Thanks

 

Welcome to the forums!

While I've heard of that brand of paint, I don't recall ever having used any. Most any SWP and BM along with many other paint stores should be able to match any sample you bring them.

 

I havent read thru the 3 pages, but just speaking from my moderate experience of painting, (usually in my home..and for some clients..) - I can only add to the quality of BM paint. IMO, it's worth whatever the cost difference is. Its like using 87octane, when your car calls for 91 octane...
You get what you pay for.
I've had to do some touch-ups on walls (crack issue..etc)...days after the intial painting and the BM blended in perfectly - no flashing or shade difference...
Im for BM... (but Im not a professional painter) - so IMO, if it works well for a DIY'er - its gotta be worth it for the pro's...
Just my $.02 worth...!

 

The things is ALL paint stores also sell 'cheap' paint that isn't worth buying! That's why it's important to buy quality coatings. Glidden has some great paint but many folks only know about the cheap crap that Glidden has allowed to be sold at a big box store. BM also sells a similar line of paint I've never liked using cheap [inferior] paint. The extra cost per gallon is usually a minor part of the job's price and a pro painter's reputation is his biggest marketing tool.

 

I am going to be painting my old kitchen cabinets (oak) and I actually bought the Behr Ultra Premium semi-gloss for it, but have delayed the painting for a number of reasons. I have seen enough videos and read enough blogs about proper prepping and should be able to do the project in the next month.

I have read of Benjamin Moore's Advance paint and how it is great
for kitchens and bathrooms. I did not read anyone's comments about Advance. Any experience with Advance? Anyone use Farrow and Ball on kitchen or bathroom cabinets. I want to do this project once and forget about it until I may wish to change the color in 15 years or so.

Yes, I have the Behr Ultra premium- but I can use it for another project if the other choices are really much better. I have dog and I cook a lot - so this is a kitchen and cabinets that are not just a backdrop for a catering service, but a really active kitchen.

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

Welcome to the forums!

I haven't used BM's Advance but with the exception of their bottom line coatings - they have good paint. I've never heard of the F&B brand. Behr doesn't have a great reputation but might be ok.

What are your prep plans? what type of finish is currently on the cabinets?
Once you are assured that you will have good adhesion, the next issue is wear. Oil base enamels wear the best but whites will yellow over time and oil has a stronger odor and longer drying time. I like waterborne enamels because they dry almost as hard as oil base, don't yellow and dry fairly fast. Latex enamel would be my last choice since latex won't dry to as hard a film as oil or waterborne. If you use latex - use the top line. I've not used the Behr Ultra and can't say how well it will fare. Cheap latex enamels are prone to chip and peel

 

I've never used Behr (I use Ben Moore exclusively) but it has been my observation that more bad painting experiences relayed on this site involve that line than any other but that might be because they sell a lot of it.

That said, I believe you get better paint and advice from a paint store than a paint department in a big store.

Now, my opinion: Oak is good looking wood, have you considered refinishing it and not covering it with paint?

 

Thanks for your input. The oak has a lot of water damage (25 year old Merrilat mid-grade cabinets, with good structure but really bad wear and staining. I first thought to refinish and stain etc., but actually like the idea of painted cabinets in a kind of old farmhouse look. It will probably be as much prep and work to paint as to refinish, but I don't have to worry about the stains showing through etc. I went to the BM store today and they don't stock the Advance - I guess it is really new. Farrow and Ball is a small paint company in England that makes highly pigmented paint - costs a fortune, but is supposedly beautiful for small jobs. I'll probably get a BM Advance sample pot and see what it is like.

 

You will definitely need to use a solvent based primer to seal the stains! 1-2 coats of oil base primer should seal the stains but sometimes really bad stains require a pigmented shellac primer like Zinnser's BIN.

http://www.doityourself.com/forum/pa...t-repaint.html

 

So.....interesting development. I was planning to paint the kitchen cabinets rather than replacing them. I had granite countertops put in today - yes, over those old cabinets, because I was planning to paint them, and they are structuraly very good. Well, the wood looks so rich with the granite. I re-examined the cabinets and most of the problem is water damage- not severe, just constant kitchen splatter, especially on the base cabinets, and the staining is really more of a dirt than deep stain. My gold standard for varnish has been Spar varnish. I have studied countless videos on prepping for painting the cabinets, but none for refinishing. Any suggestions in how to videos and in products used to strip the old finish, sand, Prime?, and varnish type? -

 

On this paint topic I was wondering how the contractor grade compares to the other types of BM paint. We have used Aura on one project and have been using Regal and Regal Select on another. So when you have been refering to BM paint which ones have you been using?

 

I've used quite a bit of SW Duration lately (always waiting to get a discount coupon!). I've been impressed by the coverage, except when trying to paint red over a light color. Gave up on that and got a tinted primer, haven't retried yet though.

My one issue with Duration is the durability of it on outside corners. Seems to come off pretty easy, and come off in big pieces (and my little boys have been known to peel it off). It has an almost rubbery consistency.

Back to Benjamin Moore. Around here it is available at Ace hardware stores and "decorating centers". I assume the product is the same at both. I realize the Ace personnel may (or may not) be as knowledgeable, but is there any other downside in getting at a hardware store?